There is a growing need for less expensive methods of processing silicon wafers to make integrated circuits (ICs), MEMS devices, logic ICs, power devices, and other elements used in modern electronics. At the present time, silicon wafers are used not only for the active integrated circuitry and other circuit elements, but are also used as carriers, interposers, and mechanical elements that do not contain circuitry or other features used in electronics. It is highly desirable to find an alternative to the use of silicon wafers as carriers, interposers, and other elements to further lower the cost of the final packaged parts. However, finding a less expensive alternative to silicon wafers is not an easy task. The fabrication tools used in the process of making ICs and other devices include, among other items, automatic loading and unloading equipment (e.g., cassette autoloaders that load and unload into lithographic equipment, etching equipment, and the like). These cassette autoloaders depend on various sensors to determine the placement, position, and confirmation of location as the wafers move in and out of the tools. This is accomplished by the use of a wafer flat, notch, or other like mechanism positioned at the edge of the wafer, which must be oriented correctly within the tool. The problem is that many of the sensors were designed to sense silicon semiconductor wafers. Existing sensors are mechanical, optical, and/or inductive/capacitive in nature. While the mechanical-type sensors may work with other materials, the electrical or optical sensors do not always work with other materials. While it is possible to change every sensor on the tools to enable sensing of wafers made of other (i.e., non-silicon) materials, this is undesirable in a manufacturing environment. Aside from the cost and effort of retrofitting the tools, various levels of manufacturing re-qualification would be required to ensure standard product specifications are not changed, which can require a large amount of work. Another class of wafer chucks, commonly called electrostatic chucks, use electrostatic fields to hold the wafer in place, but these would not work with wafer materials that are not susceptible to electrostatic fields like dielectrics such as glass materials. The different dielectric properties of glasses result in the failure of electrostatic chuck designed only for silicon wafers to work properly.
While silicon is the existing material of choice for carrier, interposer, and other applications, it is desirable that less expensive materials, and methods of using these materials in existing equipment without costly modifications, be found. The present disclosure is thus directed to the use of glass materials in existing equipment without costly and time consuming modifications of the equipment.